ILOILO CITY — Local government chief executives of several local government units in the city and the province of Iloilo and Capiz have suspended classes in their respective jurisdictions in anticipation of the heavy monsoon rains that might be intensified by Typhoon “Ompong” (Mangkhut) Friday.
The earliest to declare a suspension of classes in all levels was the town of Janiuay that started as early as Sept. 12 until Friday.
Janiuay Mayor Jose Lam De Paula signed Executive Order No. 43 for the suspension of classes Friday “so as not to cause physical injuries or loss of lives among pupils, teachers and constituents of the municipality”.
He likewise informed his constituents of the availability of the PHP5-million evacuation center inside the Janiuay National Comprehensive High School in Damoong village. The center, he said is “equipped with rooms, comfort rooms and kitchen”.
Other municipalities that declared suspension of classes include Alimodian, Barotac Nuevo, Bingawan, Calinog, Dumangas, Guimbal, Igbaras, Lambunao, Leganes, Leon, Maasin, Miagao, Mina, New Lucena, Oton, Pavia, San Dionisio, San Joaquin, Sta. Barbara, Tigbauan, Tubungan and Zarraga.
Lambunao Mayor Jason Gonzales, in his Executive Order 66, said that “for one day, this municipality experienced heavy/torrential rains that resulted in the flooding of rivers in some/most part of this locality”.
Meanwhile, he said that the municipality has a digital data bank that contains geotagged information of more than 15,000 households from 73 barangays.
“The software shows which homes are in landslide and flood-prone, depending on the variables that user inputs. This allows us to send out more reliable warnings to affected communities and households, and later, to help verify legitimate claims of which houses and properties have been damaged,” the Lambunao mayor said.
On the other hand, Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III declared the suspension of classes in all levels, both public and private schools on Thursday evening following consultation with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
Espinosa said that Ompong is “expected to bring heavy rains in Western Visayas, which include Iloilo City”.
“To ensure the safety of our residents, I declared that classes be suspended at all levels on Friday,” he said.
He was also informed by the CDRRMO that the 24 coastal and three low-lying barangays of the city have been alerted for possible flooding.
The CDRRMO has already identified 21 evacuation centers composed of barangay hall, gymnasium and schools in each of the city seven districts.
Meanwhile, a report from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) disclosed that classes in all levels in the municipalities of President Roxas, Pilar, Maayon, Ivisan and Pontevedra were also suspended.
RDRRMC chair and Civil Defense Regional Director Jose Roberto R. Nunez also cautioned people living near mountain slopes and in low-lying areas or near river systems to be “alert for possible flash floods and landslides”. (Perla Lena/PNA)
